The EMC Expo Center in downtown Des Moines is hosting the Des Moines Holiday Boutique this weekend for its ninth year, bringing hundreds of vendors, food stalls and family-friendly activities to the venue at 730 3rd Street through Sunday. The boutique runs Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with admission set at $15 for shoppers 13 and older while kids 12 and under get in free.
Organizer Cara Braithwaite says the event has become a fixture for the metro's holiday shopping season, giving small businesses and residents a reason to gather under one roof year after year. “You can do all your holiday shopping here under one roof,” Braithwaite told WHO13. For nine years running, the boutique has brought together small local businesses and the broader community, offering hundreds of businesses — including food vendors and boutiques — a single weekend to connect with shoppers.
Hundreds of Vendors, Local and National
The scale of the event is part of the draw. The Iowa Events Center describes hundreds of vendors on site each year, with products from both local and national artisans filling the expo floor. The boutique's own site says the event typically draws more than 14,000 shoppers and 200 vendors annually, making it one of the metro's bigger holiday shopping gatherings.
For Braithwaite, the appeal goes beyond the sheer number of booths. She said she values customers getting to interact face-to-face with local people and getting to know their own community, rather than shopping anonymously online or at a big-box store. That sentiment echoed among shoppers browsing the aisles this weekend, who said they enjoy the atmosphere and the chance to support people in their own city.
Shoppers Say Supporting Local Matters
Des Moines shopper Amy Underhill said she tries to shop locally as much as possible. She said supporting small businesses helps not just the vendors themselves but families and other community members who depend on that income. Fellow shopper Alan Carver said he enjoyed the event while browsing with his wife at the expo center's booths.
Entertainment, Wine and a Kids' Showcase
Beyond the shopping, the boutique has built out a schedule of extras for the weekend. The event's official site promotes festive performances by local talent on its Holiday Entertainment Stage throughout the run, plus an Iowa Wine Village where local wineries sample and sell their bottles, according to the boutique's show-features page. Young entrepreneurs are also set to showcase their own businesses on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., giving the metro's youngest sellers a spot on the same floor as the boutique's established vendors.
The event also ties in a charitable component this year. Event materials note a $30 donation option benefiting the DMARC Food Pantry Network, letting attendees help fill cupboards for families in need, according to the Iowa Events Center. Shoppers heading to the expo center can find parking with entrances off 3rd Street and 5th Avenue, per the venue's listing.
